By Alex Robinson
State Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) joined Willets Point business owners at City Hall Wednesday to decry a relocation plan proposed by the city as part of its plan to develop the blighted area into a $3 billion commercial, retail and residential site.
The proposal offers business owners, tenants of the city Department of Housing, a payment worth 12 months of their present rent if they relocate by Nov. 30. If they leave by the end of January 2014, they will receive a payment worth six months of their present rent and if they do not relocate until after that, they will receive nothing.
“It is a real disgrace,” said Avella. “There are so many stipulations to this agreement that it makes it virtually impossible for an individual business owner to get some of the relocation moneys. This is simply not fair.”
The tenants also called for a six-month extension on the impending deadline to better prepare themselves for relocation.
Willets Point, which is near Citi Field, is filled with auto repair shops, scrap yards and some industrial companies.
“It is clear that the city is failing in its obligations to relocate these Willets Point tenant businesses. That is why these tenants, at the very least, need an extension and why they deserve to negotiate a higher payment,” said Avella.
Willets Point tenant business leader Arturo Olaya accused Housing of purposefully lowering rents in anticipation of the relocation offer. He said some tenants in the area saw their rent lowered from $5,000 to $1,000 a year ago.
“They offered lower rent to everybody because they want to make everybody pay under $1,000 a month,” Olaya said. “They knew they were going to offer one-year rent and it would be easy to pay every business $12,000 for the year. They’re being cheap with the people here.”
A Housing spokesman said the two are unrelated, however.
“We have only renegotiated rents only at the request of an individual business. Nobody is required to pay less rent, and this is not related to NYCEDC’s supplement benefits payments. This is a process that has been ongoing for years, since the city acquired the sites,” said a city spokesman in a statement.
In addition to the relocation payments, Housing said it is also providing relocation benefits to eligible businesses to cover moving costs.
Martha Gualutona has owned a Emanuel Body Shop in Willets Point for more than 10 years and said she vowed to fight the relocation proposal.
“We are united and we aren’t going to leave Willets Point. We’re going to keep fighting and we aren’t going to leave with our hands empty,” she said through a translator.
Reach reporter Alex Robinson by e-mail at arobinson@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.
